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Russia boosts military-technical cooperation with southern African countries

The Russian government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Southern African Development Community

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. The Russian government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), according to a statement posted on the website of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation on Friday.

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The memorandum was signed at the tenth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Johannesburg.

"On the sidelines of the forum [the BRICS summit], a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the government of the Russian Federation and the Southern African Development Community in the field of military and technical cooperation," the statement says.

Director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev noted that the signing of the Memorandum "creates the basis for developing multilateral interaction in the military and technical sphere between the Russian Federation and African countries."

The implementation of joint projects will help maintain stability and security on the African continent, he added.

The SADC is a major and one of the most influential sub-regional associations in Africa comprising 16 countries. Many SADC states operate Russian (Soviet-made) military hardware.

The tenth BRICS summit runs in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 25-27. The summit participants are discussing the issues of strengthening multilateral relations and the organization’s role in ensuring peace and security.

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